[Leica] IMG: New Studio BW portrait

[Geoff Hopkinson]

That is correct Frank. That is quite usual for medium format cameras. The
newest generations of medium format cameras are becoming more capable
though. Hasselblad for example measure and compensate for the distance
affected by centring the focus point and then reframing. The newest S (Typ
007) includes predictive focusing, etc.
And yes that was how I was taught with SLRs too (and spot metering control).
 The model and photog obviously work together to maintain the working
distance and for full length or 3/4 length with a standard lens the DoF is
quite sufficient to allow movement with feet position unchanged. One of the
reasons for typically working stopped down like that is to help ensure
front to back sharpness of the subject there. The more critical example I
quoted was with a tightly framed  headshot for example. For portraits such
as I have showed samples from you can bet that each was individually
carefully focused on the near eye.



Cheers
Geoff
http://www.pbase.com/hoppyman

On 24 September 2014 16:33, Frank Filippone <red735i at verizon.net> wrote:

> There is no AF point except dead center?  I must misunderstand.
>
> Your methodology is very similar to the way I was told how to shoot my
> D7100. Set a back button to engage the AF.  Let go the button and you can
> then MF.
>
> I understand the thin DOF, but I had forgotten that you are operating in a
> studio. Do the models purposefully try to maintain their distance during a
> series of images?  ( makes focusing on every click unnecessary, to some
> degree)
>
> Learning lots on a type of photography I have no experience in....
>
> Frank Filippone
> Red735i at verizon.net
>
> On Sep 23, 2014, at 5:07 PM, Geoff Hopkinson <hopsternew at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Frank. yes, no, kind of!
> Haah, no the camera has a single central AF point only and the way I
> operate it focus wise for fashion indoors and out is to set the camera to
> manual focus mode and the rear operating button to AF only, put the cross
> hairs on the near eye and press that AF button and then reframe. Due to the
> lens actually being on manual focus that setting then will not change until
> I next press that button. So I might actually only repeat that process
> every tenth frame or so for insurance where the subject distance is not
> changing, if you can follow that. In studio the aperture is pretty much
> standard here on f/9.5.
> With more closely framed head shots and the 120mm lens  that still means a
> small zone of DoF. with the iris of the near eye sharp the end of the nose
> and often even the eyebrows are falling out of that. Bigger formats are
> quite a different world.  The new medium format CMOS sensors are changing
> the game again there with good high ISO performance when needed. Wide open
> (f/2.5) in close like that the DoF might be no more than a couple of mms,
> probably about like shooting with a Nocti if you like.
> The S viewfinder is big and bright and the standard screen does work well
> for manual focus actually. They have an alternate screen like the old
> school film manual SLRs (I was brought up on) have. That is to say a
> 'ground glass' with centre split image and a micro-prism collar on that. I
> have one on order but you can nearly buy a camera body like on of the
> Fujiilm X Pros for the price!  Still no-one ever accused Leica Camera of
> bargain prices and I have shot more than 5,500 frames with this S2 so far
> and I'm getting to know it well. The files are truly a revelation and that
> is coming from my M (Typ 240) with the best of their lenses too.
>
>
> Cheers
> Geoff
> http://www.pbase.com/hoppyman
>
> > On 24 September 2014 11:57, Frank Filippone <red735i at verizon.net> wrote:
> >
> > Geoff.. Are you manually focusing during these sessions?  Or AF all the
> > time?
> >
> > Frank Filippone
> > Red735i at verizon.net
> >
> >
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